SAFEGUARDS ASPECTS OF THE CONDITIONING AND TRANSFER OF IRRADIATED FUEL IN A FAST BREEDER REACTOR IN KAZAKHSTAN

Large projects involving intensive handling of strategic nuclear material have a substantial impact on the way this material is safeguarded. These projects are a challenge for the Agency with respect to finding funds and allocating the needed resources. Furthermore, new technical means have to be developed or adapted for the implementation of safeguards in these facilities which can enhance the Agency’s capabilities in this field. This paper will describe in detail how the Agency has planned to manage the implementation of Safeguards during a continuous campaign, in which the operator of the BN350 fast breeder reactor in Aktau, Kazakhstan will prepare all the spent fuel assemblies currently present at the reactor for long term storage. Special emphasis will be given to organizational issues, the provision of resources, both financial and human, and to the specific new techniques that are being developed for this project.